Certain languages, like Portuguese, Spanish and English – but also many others – are spoken in more than one place. And with the passage of time, the various versions of the language can become different.
In the case of English, most local and national variants are mutually intelligible, but there still are important differences, and sometimes even differences that seem quite subtle at first glance can matter a lot.
For example, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was criticised recently for using British spelling, rather than Canadian.
The difference between British and Canadian spelling is very small. Canadian English follows a middle ground between US and British English, with some of the spelling conventions from each. For example, it uses ‘z’ in words like ‘industrialize’ rather than ‘s’ as British spelling often does (but not always – we’ll be writing about the Oxford spelling conventions in another post). However, like the British, Canadians write about ‘colour’ rather than ‘color,’ as Americans do.
Experts in Canadian English have gone so far as to urge Carney to stick strictly to Canadian spelling and, where possible, terminology, to implicitly make the point that Canada is just as important as anywhere else. Especially important, in fact, to the Canadians.
As translators, we’re extremely aware of the importance of these differences, which can seem small to outsiders. Using spelling and terminology that are correct, but that belong to somewhere else, can make a text sound like it was written for others.
Photo Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/a-library-with-books-on-shelves-nLDr4OyN2OM
